Three Little Words
by Just Me1
Summary: Takes place after Crush. Buffy and Spike talk...well actually Spike talks and Buffy scowls at him.


Title - Three Little Words  
  
Author - Just Me  
  
Email - justme@starflower.freeserve.co.uk  
  
Distribution - If you really want to use it just ask  
  
Summary: The story takes place after Crush. Buffy and Spike talk...well  
actually Spike talks and Buffy scowls at him.  
  
Disclaimer: Sadly these characters do not belong to me they belong to Joss  
Whedon and the gang, not to be confused with Kool and the Gang. I merely  
suggested to Spike that we play naked Scrabble and Buffy got all jealous and  
insisted on coming too.  
  
Dedication: I dedicate this to my fellow Sisters O' Smut, especially  
Mandikins, Maggie and Digitalis without whom I would be alone in the gutter.  
May your board Spikes always have Bed Hair :-)  
  
Notes: This was my first ever fanfic so please be kind in your reviews as  
I'm small and I bruise easily. Oh and please excuse my ballistic approach to  
punctuation.  
  
Thoughts are in * *  
  
  
***  
  
The dreams were starting to hurt now. In the beginning, when he'd thought  
there was a glimmer of hope, he'd enjoyed them; actually relished closing his  
eyes and falling asleep but now...now there was only pain. Gut wrenching  
torture, the kind of pain that grips you by the throat and rips your heart from  
your chest; the sorrow of waking and remembering that it's not real...she doesn't  
love you back.  
  
Spike couldn't believe it had come to this; the guy who'd bested two Slayers  
was now on the receiving end. Sure she wasn't killing him in an actual, stake  
through the heart, kind of way; in this fight words were her weapon, daggers  
aiming straight for his heart and mind. Every time she told him to leave, her  
face etched with revulsion, a little piece of him dusted and it was like dying  
for a second time.  
  
His death at the hands, or more appropriately fangs, of Drusilla had been  
quick and relatively painless, almost pleasant. He'd felt his life force ebbing  
away only to be replaced by something else, something stronger, the demon that  
would control his every waking moment from now until eternity. Then there'd  
been the shock of waking again but it didn't last long, soon the urge to feed  
overtook you and later everything was simple, fight, feed and sleep. Now all he  
had was fight.  
  
Finally Spike gave up on the idea of sleep. Sitting up he swung his legs  
over the side of the cold stone sarcophagus that served as his bed and pulled  
on his leather duster. Perhaps a walk in the moonlight would help him clear his  
head, maybe even kick a little demon ass while he was out; anything to tire him  
out so he could fall into a deep Vampyric sleep and not dream of her. He paused  
in the lee of the doorway and lit a cigarette, making a mental note to pick up  
a new packet while he was out.  
  
Striding out into the cemetery Spike immediately became aware of the sound  
of a fight piercing the usual silence. *Be just my rotten luck if the one  
night I decide to go for a midnight stroll the sodding Slayer showed up* he  
thought.  
  
Sure enough there she was slugging it out like a pro, which she was; he'd  
been on the receiving end of her fist enough times to be familiar with the  
force behind it. For a split second he considered going back to the crypt. *No,  
what if she gets out of her depth?* It was possible, he considered, the guys  
she was fighting were huge and there were a lot of them.  
  
As he drew closer Spike recognised her attackers as vampires, big brooding  
ones, the kind that had over-developed brows even before they put their game  
faces on. It looked like this lot had come suited and booted as well; the clang  
of steel against steel punctuated the night air. Spike noticed that Buffy only  
had a small dagger clasped in her tiny fist, the stake she always carried was  
pretty much ineffective given that she couldn't get close enough to use it.  
  
He wished he'd had the foresight to bring a weapon, how long had he been in  
Sunnydale and he still didn't keep in mind that round here it was best to be  
prepared? *Bloody useless Boy Scout I would've been...oh well, I'll have to use  
my fists*. He cast one final glance at Buffy before rushing headlong into battle.  
Spike used every ounce of preternatural ability he had and started raining  
blows on the largest vamp, luckily the bleach blonde vampire had the element of  
surprise and the lumbering bloodsucker had no idea what hit him.  
  
Minutes later Spike and Buffy were alone having made short work of the vamp  
pack. Buffy stood with her back to him as she scanned the surrounding area for  
any remaining members. Spike gazed at her in wonder, his senses picked up the  
steady thrum of her heartbeat coupled with the heady scent of adrenaline  
coursing through her veins. Taking a long drag on his cigarette, he leaned over  
and tapped her on the shoulder. *Big mistake*, Buffy's  
Slayer instincts were still heightened from the fight, she whirled, arm  
outstretched, and caught him with the blade.  
  
"Hey! Watch it Slayer...you've bloody well ripped my coat!" Spike looked down  
at the large tear in his sleeve, blood from a gash in his arm was beginning to  
stain the leather, "I'll be up all night trying to fix that. Also, you made me  
drop my cigarette and it was my last one! I want compensation!"  
  
Buffy glanced quickly at the gash on his arm and dismissed it, her eyes  
caught his and she glared at him as if demanding that he explain his presence.  
  
"I can imagine just what sort of compensation you want Spike and the answer is  
definitely no."  
  
Grimacing, he raised two fingers defiantly.  
  
"I saw that!" Buffy hissed at him before turning her back on him and walking towards the cemetery gates.  
  
"Did you? I'd be bloody surprised if you did. Do you ever really see me? The  
human not the demon...the real Spike."  
  
Pausing mid stride, Buffy turned and faced him again. "The demon is the real  
Spike. The killing and maiming Spike, the Spike who can't possibly be in love  
with me."  
  
"Why?" Spike took a hesitant step towards her and she stepped back, needing  
to keep the distance between them, "Why Slayer, because demons can't love? Who  
says? Who sat down one day and wrote the rule that said I couldn't love you? It  
hurts Slayer...it must be love 'cos it hurts..." He brought one callused palm up to  
his chest and clasped it over his heart. "...it hurts here," he whispered, his eyes meeting with hers once more.  
  
He began to walk towards her; that slow, purposeful gait of his reminded her  
of a lion stalking its prey. Buffy was rooted to the spot, she willed her body  
to move but it refused.  
  
"You've been in love before Slayer. Remember how it felt when Angel turned.  
How you died inside every time Angelus mocked your past together...told you it'd  
never been love. How the sting of those words tears you apart."  
  
Moving nearer to her Spike saw a faint flicker of understanding in her eyes  
and then, quick as a flash, it was gone, replaced by the impassive glare he'd  
become accustomed to.  
  
"Spike please don't do this. Not now...I'm tired...I'm so tired of going over  
the same ground with you. Life would be so much easier if we could just be...friends." Buffy began to walk towards the exit.  
  
There it was again...the pain, grabbing his heart and twisting it at the sound  
of those three little words, 'just be friends'; the antithesis of the ones his  
motionless heart longed to hear.  
  
"Don't walk out on me Buffy." Spikes steady voice belied the torment he felt  
inside.  
  
Standing in the gateway to the cemetery Buffy faced him, her voice softer  
now as she spoke, "Friendship Spike. All I can ever offer you is my friendship.  
Oh and...thanks...for the help." and with that she walked away.  
  
*Ok, if that's the way she wants to play it*, Spike thought, patting his pockets and praying to the God of  
nicotine that a cigarette had fallen out of the packet; *I can cope with friendship...it's a start.*  
  
The End  



End file.
